College Power Rankings, Presented by NUTC [Apr 17, 2019]

While our College Power Rankings can always been found on our permanent rankings page, every week during the season, we will post the current edition here on the front page to facilitate discussion in the comments and serve as a permalink for each week’s rankings..

D-I Women’s Discussion

In one of the more surprising results of the first weekend of the Series, North Carolina dropped a game to in-state challenger UNC Wilmington. Pleiades drop to #4 this week while Seaweed are unfortunate not to move up based on other results ahead of them near the back end of the rankings.

After cruising through an undefeated Saturday, UC Santa Barbara failed to win a game on Sunday, losing to both UCLA and Cal Poly SLO in perhaps the toughest conference in the country. UCSB slip two spots to #8 while UCLA climbs to #19. Cal Poly is in a similarly unlucky spot to Wilmington and don’t have a chance to move up.

Tufts move up to #13 after winning their third straight Metro Boston Conference title, knocking off top seeded Northeastern who fall five spots to #14. Vermont also slide down a spot to #17 after being blown out twice by Dartmouth in the region’s other conference event. These four teams will do battle at Regionals in a few weeks to claim New England’s three bids to Nationals.

Upsets in NorCal and Cascadia shake up the middle of our board this week. California bested Stanford and Washington surprised Oregon at their respective conference events, created a logjam of conflicting results in spots #18 through #21.

Clemson enter the rankings at #24 after they swept through their pool on Saturday of the Carolina Conference championships, including a win over South Carolina, who fall to #25.

In order to make room for the Tiger Lilies, Utah fall out of the Top 25, suffering a loss to BYU at Big Sky conferences.

D-I Men’s Discussion

Washington Sundodgers won a windy Cascadia Conferences over Oregon, moving up five spots to #11.

In another very windy affair, Texas shockingly dropped a game to Texas State on Saturday, but recovered to still win their conference tournament. TUFF slip to #13.

Despite their strong regular season this spring, NC State‘s postseason woes reared their head yet again, as they fall to a UNC Wilmington squad who set out to prove their disastrous Easterns was an anomaly. Both squads qualified for a championship bracket that was called off due to weather. Alpha slide to #15 while the Seamen reenter the rankings at #25; NC State will hope to get revenge at Regionals in a few weeks.

In a reversal from the Women’s division, Tufts really struggled at Metro Boston Conferences, taking three losses while Northeastern claimed the title. Tufts drops out of our rankings while the Huskies enter at #24.

South Carolina also make way this week, lucky to make the championship bracket in Carolina after losing to Appalachian State.

D-III Women’s Discussion

The big mover this week is Trinity, whose impressive run through South Central Confregionals came up one point shy of a trip to Nationals in the one-bid region. They moved up twelve spots this week to #11 and unfortunately won’t have an opportunity to improve on that in College Station.

One of Trinity’s victims this weekend was John Brown, who finished third in the South Central but slide back to #16 in our rankings.

As Metro Boston champs, Brandeis bursts into the top 25 at #18. While they lost a pool play game to #19 Wellesley, they got revenge in the tournament final. Both advance to the bid-heavy New England regional tournament.

North Park Alihopa return to our big board after going 4-0 on the first day of the Great Lakes Confregional; the Sunday bracket was unfortunately postponed due to weather, but the new #21 is in prime position to earn the bid when play continues.

It was a similar story for Swarthmore, who stormed through their pool play, only to see bracket play pushed to next weekend. In the meantime, they climb up to #23.

Two regional champs enter at the back end of our rankings this week, as #24 North Georgia and #25 Mary Washington both punched their tickets to College Station. North Georgia overcame perennial Southeast qualifier Georgia College to earn their first trip to Nationals, while Mary Washington disposed of previously ranked Catholic in the Atlantic Coast to get their first invitation back to the season’s final tournament since 2013.

D-III Men’s Discussion

While Rice did go undefeated at the conference tournament, close calls against both Sul Ross State and Dallas sees them drop a little in our eyes and they fall back to #10.

Top-seeded Richmond was thumped by #5 Mary Washington 15-7 in the Northern Atlantic Coast conference title game, seeing the Spidermonkeys slide to #11.

New #18 Truman State put in a solid showing at Ozarks conferences, beating #19 John Brown and losing on double game point to #15 Missouri S&T. Should be a fun battle at the two-bid South Central regional tournament.

2014 national champs Bentley make their 2019 Power Rankings debut at #21, just ahead of falling #22 Brandeis, who Icehouse edged twice for the Metro Boston conference title.

Also tumbling down the board this week is #23 Franciscan; a loss to Oberlin — one of the regular season’s biggest disappointments — isn’t fatal as both squads made a bracket that was postponed due to weather.